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As spontaneous parties broke out on every corner last night (just check out St. Mark's Place), things got a little bit crazy in Williamsburg once Barack Obama was declared leader of the free world--and there's nothing like a peaceful celebration to bring out the cops in riot gear! One tipster writes in about a reveler's run-in with the long arm of the law on North 7th and Bedford.
We were trying to get onto the sidewalk, as requested but hard to do when it is packed. The police pushed my boyfriend because he wasn't moving fast enough and when he spoke back to them the incident escalated.We contacted the 94th Precinct and when asked how many arrests were made at this particular party, an officer told us "there's about six in there." Another tipster who was waiting at the station for a friend to be released, emailed in that he asked two officers about why the riot gear was brought out (unsurprisingly, they told him it was for their protection), and noted the sight of it was "unsettling" and probably caused things to escalate.He was basically thrown to the ground, hit with billy clubs and then arrested for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest & obstructing governmental administration. Others who got arrested were only given a summons, however a police officer hurt himself while arresting my boyfriend. That is why he is still in central booking in Brooklyn.
Some more tales from the front line here, and below is some footage showing just how much things did escalate towards the end--and to think, this kid caught on tape was just trying to celebrate on the street in his pirate outfit!
And an aerial shot, and more street scenes of the Williamsburg celebration after the jump.
UPDATE: Brooklyn Vegan has plenty of shots of The Law in action. And now CityRoom has word from the police, who told them that all in all three people were arrested, and five issued summonses. One officer told them that after receiving 911 calls from residents, “We just wanted them to get on the sidewalk, and eventually they did."
One of those arrested was charged with assaulting a police officer who Mr. Browne said suffered a broken thumb in trying to make the arrest. Another was charged with obstructing governmental administration and a third with resisting arrest, he said.They also note that there were no arrests at other areas in the city where crowds gathered.In addition, a duty captain at the scene suffered injuries to his face and head after being hit by a bottle and a police officer injured his back when he was pushed by crowds and fell down, Mr. Browne said. No arrests were made in connection with those two incidents.
Top photograph of a spontaneous celebration in Williamsburg via minicloud's flickr.
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here we go: hipsters vs those who just want their beauty sleep, let the arguments begin:
sounds like the nypd are afraid for their racist asses.
hipsters.
City budget cuts mean less cops on the streets beating up citizens. There's a silver lining in everything.
the cops are just pissed that Obama won,
no more fear induced homeland security money for overtime and other torture toys. that hurts them in the pocketbook.
see the election results for suffolk and rockland as proof.
On St Marks and 1st Ave people were banging on pots and pans. A noisy, polyrhythm of clangs. It was real. Jubilant.
On N 7 and Bedford, guy in pirate custom? He needed a beat down.
When the helicopter started circling, I knew something was about to go down. I'm so glad I left at that moment.
I really hate this conflict. Why do these people feel entitled to party wherever the hell they want regardless of the impact on their neighbors? Isn't there a park where they can celebrate but not annoy the Hell out of everyone else? I was in Clinton Hill and people were partying in the street. Cops came by, they talked, and then they took the party elsewhere. No conflict. Not too difficult.
Honestly, I think the cops have it rough here. They're tolerant enough to let a bunch of stupid kids party in the street but when it's time to go home they have to deal with some bratty moron who thinks it's his right to party wherever he wants.
Get a life and learn how to party correctly. It's like amateur hour on Bedford.
@franklinteany
it wasn't a party. it was a celebration. if you don't like it, or were upset by the election, then you've eight years of things to be "proud" of and you can deal when 90% of the world has let a collective sigh of relief go.
do you know how good it feels to be part of this generation right now? we were the "slacker" generation. we've been called "anti-american" for questioning authority and now so much of that is vindicated.
deal with it.
Obama's Civilian Army will do a much better job clamping down, I'm sure.
DER STASI ????
UNITE OBAMA YOUTH!
SIEG HEIL!
it's easier to beat up hipsters than it is for the pigs to actually deal with real criminals.
As much as I hate to admit it. I am taking the side of the revelers. This was a historic election and people felt the need to celebrate, everyone should just lighten up a bit. I wasn't there, and some of the celebrants may have pushed the limits a bit, but cut everyone some slack. I realize they have dopey panda parties and most folks think they are stupid, but they wanted to celebrate. Why rain on their parade?
regardless, these people have the constitutional right to assemble and say whatever they want, even if it's hootin and hollerin in the street late at night. you're a complete asshole if you think the cops are in the right for beating up on this peaceful assembly
this is the begging of the end......sad day for America.
noise complaints in wiliamsburg for 311 calls is the biggest in the city report of nyc for 2008
here's another guy who's pissed, Bloomberg.
I bet he really wanted to be President.
Hey, those Williamsburg voters really mattered, since they all cast their absentee ballots in Midwestern states.
@YELLOWFOOT
Actually, I voted for Obama at 6:20am. So, yes, I was out celebrating too. Doesn't mean that I have lost respect for my neighbors and my community by acting like a damn fool.
Much of Obama's acceptance speech talked about the challenges ahead and the responsibility we have as Americans to fix these problems. There are many people in Williamsburg who wake up and go to work every day to make this happen and it while I'm glad to see people happy, I would much rather see people willing to come together to get some positive work done rather than keep some hard working people trapped in city buses while they are on the way home and eating up hours from the NYPD while they could be dealing with real gang issues just a few blocks south.
So you can really take all that vindication and shove it unless you're actually out there working to make your community a better place.
@ yellowfoot. Celebration, yes. But most people managed to celebrate peacefully. Figure that.
@ nycsniper. Or should I say Mr Chips-on-Shoulder?
@ zodak. Yes. hipsters are easier to beat up. real criminals do their deeds out of plain sight and don't egg on the pigs. Clever of them, no?
noise complaints in wiliamsburg for 311 calls is the on of the biggest brooklyn 2008 dont blame the cops
http://gothamist.com/2008/03/10/volume_of_noise.php
There is no way these celebrations would have turned ugly without police
It was like this all over NYC last night, it wasn't specific to Williamsburg. I haven't heard of any other arrests, so I'm siding with the people on this. It seems like the police were being aggressive and overreacting.
I've experienced elections in several other countries, and it's par for the course for people to go out in the streets and celebrate. I think it's a good thing, it shows people are actually invested in the country rather than burying their heads in the sand.
Gathering in the street to celebrate fuzzy rabbit day (or whatever hipster "ironic" dreck someone got stoned and came up with)...maybe debatable whether it should be allowed. A spontaneous political assembly to celebrate a change in government? That's not a "party," it's not fuzzy-rabbit day -- that's democracy. It should always be allowed.
Now, I don't know if the pirate guy in particular deserved a beatdown -- I have to think he did, since he was...dressed as a pirate. (I mean, come on, man, you just look like you haven't changed clothes since Halloween.) But his fellow hipsters should have been administering it, not a cop.
That cop getting suddenly violent with a guy who was just talking to him? That's not acceptable behavior under any circumstances, period. Police should respond to violence and stop it, they should not cause or start it. This cop got violent when others around him were basically calm -- I don't want anyone like that carrying a gun.
(Oh, by the way, this isn't to say that some portion of those hipsters out there weren't just jackasses looking for a reason to be in the street -- I'm sure many were. And it's also not to say that their gathering, while constitutionally protected, wasn't an act of jackassery if it disturbed people. Having the right to gather doesn't always mean you should. But, nonetheless...)
there hasn't been this kind of jubilation after an election since herr hitler became chancellor.
Instead of blowing up the arrest of some hipsters, that's already been published on countless other blogs already, why not look for something more newsworthy and/or positive?
The NYPD was obscene last night in Williamsburg. It was joyous celebration until they showed up in full riot gear.
Wasn't it Johnny Cash who sang about not bringing your guns to town, lest they be used?
What higher-up thought it necessary to send out the riot squad to quash a happy gathering of young people?
MFer: "real criminals do their deeds out of plain sight and don't egg on the pigs. Clever of them, no?"
which is why the police should be doing their jobs & not beating up hipsters.
or is that too clever for you to understand?
My question is: were there more policemen dress in riot gear anywhere else in the city?
People were celebrating all over town, unless there's a true disorderly conduct, why do they do that? It makes people nervous and start getting defensive.
Maybe they just want to exile the hipsters so outcasted manhattanites can move into their newly constructed condos. wtf.
I wonder if the hipsters will grow up to be the same narcissistic, entitled, self-righteous d-bags that the boomers did.
There is a difference between celebrating a monumental event and loud partying all night in a residential neighborhood.
I like my beuty sleep -so great poin for No1.
...what makes me really question: why do hipsters like night activities so much?
I wonder how many of these effers actually voted?
Visit: diehipster.com for a good laugh
Self-entitled YUNNIES two years in NYC screaming on my block in Manhattan at 1:30 waking up families who have to go to work/school deserve to be bitch-beat by the NYPD.
Anyone who defends the cops or shits on the revelers concerning this issue is an utter moron. Since when did we lose the right to assemble? Yes, I know we're all afraid of such freedoms and abilities, which is why we now have to get permits and permission to do such shit. Spontaneous outbreaks of parties and street seizures are evil! Send in the riot police!!!!! Americans cannot get together in a joyous celebration when it comes to electing their fucking leader. No, private vehicles have priority and the right of way over thousands of pedestrians. Damn. You know... if there was an emergency vehicle, I bet no one would have cleared the way! Taxis are emergencies!!!!
The police in this city are totally out of control. Surprised they didn't try to shove something up his rectum while they were at it. My only consolation is the good new of the mayors budget cuts - hopefully many of them will be from the NYPD.
I was at N. 7th and Bedford last night and the crowd was very peaceful. Nothing, as far as I could see was escalating into a riot-like situation. I think the police wanted to break it down pretty fast, but at 345AM when I left to get back to Manhattan, the crowd was still peaceful with no incidents...
I like how all the insanely bitter conservatives are equating popularity with Hitler.
When all else fails, bring up some aspect of World War II, since everything else is exactly like it.
If you replace the hipsters with Yankees fans or Mets fans and the same revelries and police response occurred, I imagine some commenters here would have a different opinion on the matter.
super easy: don't talk back to cop. next....
#36, The failed part on that take is that nobody her or overseas EXCEPT the right and ultra right on this country (a shrinking minority now) are against Obama.
The whole fkn planet -but those in medieval america- else can see a step forward ; that's why republicans will disappear: they are irrelevant.
#39 - they just got slightly smaller. Obama only one the popular vote by 55 million over mcCain's 49 million. that means there are 49 million conservative's and probably half of them are really right. If you want to see how bad they are just go to foxnews forum. They are fucking loco.
38
I concur.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0mtxXEGE8&feature=related
Two of my least favorites in the city clashing, hipster and cops.
I had the pleasure of getting my head split open and arrested for defending someone's right to take photographs of the scene after the riot cops started arresting people. The cop raged at me when I said this person had "the first amendment right" to take photographs, the officer pushed me several times, and then tackled me to the street, splitting my head on the curb, and handcuffed me. When my friend simply asked why they were arresting me, they threw him to the ground and cuffed him too. We spent two hours in a holding cell (with my head gushing blood) and then were discharged with a summons for disorderly conduct. I feel pretty violated right now, but have great hope for the future and the coming era of Obama. I just hope, in a weird way, that the cops were doing this as protocol (bust a few heads, everybody learns the lesson and goes home), instead of some pent-up aggression against liberal-minded folk. I believe in hope.
Ok, so that's kind of #$%ked-up thought. But I'm being realistic about the NYPD. Before yesterday, I had great respect for cops, especially being a former reporter. Now, not so much. Hipster idiocy aside, the level of aggression was totally uncalled for.
ugh...hipsters...
#43, I'm seriously hoping you went to the hospital, got pictures, have witnesses, and sue their asses for as much as you can get.
boohoo he got pushed. so fucking what.
Anyone who would stay around in that crowd once the cops in riot gear show up is risking a very unpleasant experience. Common sense for any rational New Yorker would dictate leaving an area as soon as you hear sirens, horses, and helicopters.
the celebrations in my neighborhood (prospect heights/crown heights) took place right in front of the police station, and you know what the police did? chilled, watched, chatted. it was mostly detectives, but several beat cops rolled by too. people were happy. let the people be happy.
Everyone on here is a hipster. That word doesn't mean anything anyhow. And the people making the noise complaints... weren't they hipsters too? I mean... they live in the Burg after all.
It's like calling everyone with long hair a hippy. Whatever.
It was one night.
One historic night.
No surprise at all. Cult of Obama members are seething with rage and will spread the violence. Their man won but now they don't know where to direct their hate.
"No surprise at all. Cult of Obama members are seething with rage and will spread the violence."
Wait, now you're calling the NYPD is the "Cult of Obama?" Come on, now this thread is becoming completely silly.
"Common sense for any rational New Yorker would dictate leaving an area as soon as you hear sirens, horses, and helicopters."
Any rational New Yorker? Bah. Any real New Yorker would say "screw the cops (most of whom live on Long Island or Staten Island anyway so they're not real New Yorkers), it's my city and I'll do what I want."
Sad that they hipsters are becoming the only ones with guts in this town.
The average cop is a slug. They don't know right from wrong. Because they are a cop they think that everyone out there is a criminal if they don't jump when they say jump.
I had a run in with two different off duty cops working at a bar when they started getting in my face for no reason at all. I told them if they liked their part time jobs they better shape up. They asked the bartenders who I was and they changed their attitudes very quickly after getting their response.
Don't screw with those fools because they can cause you aggravation over nothing. I'm glad I don't have any cops for friends. Most of them are just looneys.
any person wearing a pirate costume going out in the street to celebrate an election victory deserve to get the shit beaten out of him by anyone who so chooses. i only wish i had been there...i might have broken his nose
Um...don't you need a permit to assemble? Weren't the cops just doing their jobs? Would someone of public authority, who is sure to be closely scrutinized, *really* attack a guy for no good reason?
Last night was super exciting, but it doesn't give you license to hit the streets and cause a big ruckus. Maybe a little ruckus, but not the kind that lasts over four hours.
Call me a social conservative, but I was up voting for BO at 6:15 that morning.
Interesting that the cops in riot gear show up in Williamsburg, the lilly white hipsterville, while up in Harlem, things were a-ok.
Hipsters are the new oppressed. Rise up! Those in skinny jeans, with uneven haircuts, and oh so lovable nihilistic senses of irony will one day overcome. Lets put a hipster in the White House in 2016!
There's nothing white people love more than feeling oppressed.
That's because the police know they would get their asses kicked (and probably shot) if they showed up in Harlem last night in riot gear.
There were cops everywhere last night (including in Harlem, where I was.) When they started to disperse people, at 2 AM, people listened. These hipster douches? They didn't. That's why this happened.
To franklinteany (a.k.a. cranky old man):
You are unbelievable!
Do you have any idea at all how much your opinion puts you in the minority? Even among people (I'd bet) who, (yes!) have jobs to go to and do work for the betterment of their communities, and who chose to stay in that night?
But that probably doesn't give you pause, does it?
Un-be-lievable!
I guess everyone should have been giving silent high-fives and shushing anyone who dared to raise their voice in jubilation. Yeah. Right. OK.
I'm a huge fan of consideration, but taking it to the extreme that one should not feel ok about celebrating in the streets and making a some noise for a once-in-a-lifetime event is a *little* on the uptight and extreme side, I'd say.
Maybe you should move to Singapore. Probably a better fit.
why do you spoiled, rich, ny wannabe's think it's ok to invade someone's neighborhood and make us miserable? The police have your number. Can't take it? leave, leave, leave, leave pleeeeeeeeeze!!!!
Was that Panda Party in August a "once in a life time event" too?